The Pre-Trial Diversion Program is an opportunity for offenders to have their charges resolved after completing required conditions set forth by the City Prosecutor. Such conditions are based on the charge(s) received or the nature of the charge(s). This program also requires certain fees to be paid and other requirements met before the charges can be resolved. Some cases may be rejected due to the nature of the crime or if the situation appears to be beyond the scope of this program.

Case Reviews

The City Prosecutor’s Office reviews each case on an individual basis. No case is decided on a single factor; rather, the City Prosecutor’s Office looks at multiple factors including but not limited to the circumstances behind the offense and past criminal history. Participation in the program is not determined by an individual’s ability to pay. If a person is indigent and can provide proof, the Pre-Trial Diversion Office will make any necessary modifications to the pretrial requirements.

Pre-Trial Officers

If accepted into Pre-Trial Diversion, participants are assigned a Pre-Trial Officer. That Pre-Trial Officer is the participant’s point of contact and will provide the participant with the requirements for successful completion. The length of the program and the requirements for successful completion depend on the nature of the charges. The Pre-trial Diversion Officer can provide more accurate information upon enrollment as the exact criteria for competition.

Traffic Pre-Trial

Prosecution of certain traffic citations issued by Baton Rouge City Police which are assigned to Baton Rouge City Court may be diverted by participation in and completion of a Parish Attorney’s Pre-Trial Traffic Diversion Program. Some violations require a mandatory appearance before a Judge and are not considered eligible for the program. For those violations that do not require a court appearance, this program allows certain eligible moving violations to be converted into non-moving violations without the necessity of an appearance in court.